US embassy cable - 05THEHAGUE2272

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 002272 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/17/2015 
TAGS: AF, MARR, NL, PREL, NATO, UNSC 
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS: SUPPORT ISAF UN MANDATE, LEERY OF 
MANDATE REVISION 
 
REF: STATE 146276 
 
Classified By: DCM Chat Blakeman; reasons 1.4 (b, d) 
 
1. (C) DCM and Polmiloff met August 15 with Director Robert 
de Groot and Section Head Hans Sandee of the Security and 
Defense Policy Division at the Dutch MFA regarding the 
expiration of ISAF,s U.N. mandate.  De Groot noted that the 
Dutch are satisfied with the U.N. mandate as it currently 
stands; the mandate is sufficiently broad enough to permit 
the integration of ISAF and Coalition forces. 
 
2. (C) De Groot further expressed concerns regarding the 
willingness to revise ISAF,s mandate.  He explained that the 
Dutch government will present to Parliament in early 
September preliminary plans for Dutch involvement in ISAF 
Stage III.  Parliament will discuss these plans for several 
months, with a decision expected in December on whether to go 
through with Stage III.  De Groot suggested that opening up 
negotiations on a revised mandate might lead to delays and 
could harm efforts to persuade Parliament to support Dutch 
ISAF Stage III plans. He was not/not aware of any Allied 
misgivings regarding the broad language in the U.N. mandate, 
but suggested that opening negotiations in the U.N. might 
lead to a "Pandora's Box" of problems that the Dutch would 
rather not face. 
SOBEL